Washing-machine for piece goods



A.-TU-RKINGTON., WAfiHING MACHINE FOR PIECE GOODS.

4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' (No Model.)

Patented Dec. 29, 1896.

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(NoModeL) 4 Sheets-Sheet a.

A. TURKINGTON. WASHING MACHINE FOR PIECE GOODS.

No. 573,936. Patented Dec. 29. 1896.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4A (No Model.)

A. TURKINGTON. WASHING MACHINE FOR PIECE GOODS. No. 573,936. I PatentedDec. 29, 1896.

mm A K UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

WASHING-MACHINE FOR PIECE GOODS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 573,936, dated December29, 1896. A plication filed April 17,1896. Serial No. 588,011. (Nomodel.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER TURKING- TON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing atLafayette, in the county of Tippecanoe and State ofIndiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inIVashing-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to improvements in washing-machines,bu t moreespecially to that class of machines used for washing or scrubbing yarn;and it consists of certain novel features hereinafter described andclaimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,in which like letters ofreference indicate the same parts in the several views, Figure 1represents a side elevation of three of my improved tanks arranged eachto receive the yarn from the preceding tank. Fig. 2 represents a centralvertical longitudinal section through one of the tanks. Fig. 3represents a plan view of one of the tanks with the slataprons removedto show the rollers more clearly. Fig. 4 represents a side elevation ofone of the tanks, showing the opposite side to that shown in Fig. 1.Fig. 5 represents a plan view in detail of a part of the slat-apron andchain. Fig. 6 represents a transverse section through the same, takenlongitudinally through one of the slats. Fig. 7 represents a diagram ofthe gearing on the lower set of rollers. Fig. 8 represents a top edgeview of the same. Fig. 9 represents an elevation in detail of thegearing connecting the upper and lower rollers, and Fig. 10 representsan edge View of the same. Fig. 11 represents a side elevation of one ofthe adj ustable journal-boxes for the rollers.

My invention contemplates the use of several tanks arranged together sothat each succeeding tank will receive the yarn or other material afterit has passed through the washing fluid in the preceding tank, by whichmeans the yarn or other material maybe washed as many times as there aretanks in the series.

In 1 of the drawings I have shown three of the tanks A arranged as abovedescribed and geared together by a system of sprocket wheels and chains,but I do not wish to limit myself to that number, as any desired numberof tanks may be used.

The interior mechanism of all the tanks is the same, but the first tankhas an arrangement to receive the yarn or other material from a suitablefeeder or from the operators hand which is omitted in the other tanks.

I will now describe in detail the first tank. (Shown in Figs. 2, 3, and4 of the drawings.)

The tank A is composed of the two sides A and the curved bottom A,secured between lhe sides with a water-tight joint. The lower part ofeach of the sides is formed into feet A, having flanges a to receivebolts or screws to secure the tank to the floor.

The sides A are extended at the ends, as at A and A and have journaledin the said extensions rollers G, D, and F, around which passes theendless apron B. The apron B, as shown in Fig.5, is composed of slatsI), connected at their ends to the links I) of a sprocketchain B, andthe rollers C, D, and F are provided with sprocket-wheels C, D, and F attheir ends to receive the sprocket-chains B. The chains and apron aremade long enough to sag down and conform approximately to the curve ofthe bottom A. The end A of the first tank is extended, as at (L toreceive the shaft 0 of the roller 0, and a roller G is to raise thelatter clear of the bottom A.

Suitably journaled in the upper part of the frame on each side of thecenter are two rollers R and S, and a similar roller T is journaled inthe uprights A above the center of the tanks, and these three rollersare each provided with sprocket-wheels on their ends to receive thesprocket-chains B of a second apron P, similar in all respects to thefirst. This second apron is made long enough to sag down and follow thecurve of the upper side of the first apron through the fluid in thetank. The parts of the two aprons where they come together and passthrough the washing fluid pass between two sets of rollers H and M,journaled within the sides of the tank.

Secured to the inner sides of the tank are a series of rectangularframes 0, (shown in Fig.11,) within the central opening 0 of which areplaced the bearing-blocks O and N to receive the shafts h and m of therollers H and M. Each of these bearing-blocks has a semicircularbearing-surface for the said shafts, and the lower one, 0, is rigidlysecured in the bottom of the frame 0. The block N has a similarbearing-surface and is inverted above the block 0 and mounted so as toslide vertically in the opening 0. The rollers H are placed below theaprons B, with their journals resting in the bearing-blocks O, whichlatter are arranged in an arc of a circle concentric with the curve ofthe bottom A of the tank, and the rollers M are placed above the apronsB, one over each of the rollers H, and are held down upon the saidaprons by the bearing-block N, which rests directly upon the journals ofthe rollershafts m and is held down by the screw-rod N, which passesthrough the screw-'-tl11'eaded block N 2 and is pressed down by thespring N interposed between the said block N and the upper end of theframe 0. The screwrod N is provided with a hand-wheel N, by turningwhich the block N 2 may be raised or lowered to increase or decrease thetension of the spring N The sides A of the tank are cut away, as at a",to make room for the han dwheels N The shafts h of the lower set ofrollers II are geared together by two sets of gearwheels II and I1 Eachalternate gearwheel, as h, is keyed to its respective shaft, while theother gear-wheels, 7L2, are mounted loosely on their shafts and actmerely as idlewheels to transmit motion to the keyed wheels h, causingall of the shafts to turn in the same direction. (See Figs. 7 and 8.)

At their opposite ends the shafts 7b of the rollers Hare geared to theshafts m of the upper rollers M by means of the double interlockingspur-wheels l1 and M, each of which is provided with two sets of longspnrteeth 72,7 7L8 and 172 m and the two sets of teeth 011 each wheelare separated by a ring or web it or m. The teeth on the wheels 11 and Mare made long enough to allow the rollers to separate a little as theyarn passes through them without causing the teeth to become disengaged.Two of the shafts of the lower set of rollers II are extended throughone of the sides A of the tanks A, as at h and 7t, passing throughsuitable packingboXes to prevent leakage, and the end it is providedwith sprocket-wheels I-l and I1 and the shaft 7L4 is provided with thesprocketwheel H The shaft (Z of the roller D, Figs. 2 and 3, is the maindriving-shaft of the machine and receives its motion through a pulley Dfrom any suitable source of power. On the same end of the shaft (1 asthe pulley D is a sprocketwheel D from which a sprocketchain E transmitsmotion to a sprocket-wheel F on the shaft f of the rollerF at theopposite end of the machine. These two rollers drive the main apron B.The roller F is provided with another sprocket-wheel F on the same endas the wheel F from which a sprocket-chain Q drives a sprocket-wheel Ron the shaft 0' of the roller R, which drives the upper apron P. Theshaft F carries on its opposite end the sprocket-Wheels F and F for a;purpose to be hereinafter explained.

On the end of the shaft (.1, opposite to the pulley D, is asprocket-wheel D from which a chain K transmits motion to thesprocketwheel H on the end h of the shaft 71., and the sprocket-wheel Hon the same shaft is geared by a chain L and the sprocket-wheel H to theend h of the next shaft h. Thus the set of rollers II are all driven inthe same direction, and the rollers M being geared to the shafts h aredriven in the opposite direction.

The yarn is fed on the horizontal part of the main apron B between therollers C and D and is carried along between the two aprons down in thetank, which is filled with washing fluid, between the sets of rollers Hand M, up over the roller F, and is guided between the wringer-rolls Vand W by the table a The wringer-rolls V and W are geared together bythe gear-wheels V and V, and are driven by the sprocket-chain U, passingaround the sprocket-wheel V on the shaft 1; and the sprocket-wheel F onthe shaft F.

The wringer-rollers V and V are pressed together by springs N in a frame0', held and adjusted in the same manner as the springs N in the frames0 for holding the rollers M down upon the aprons, which have beenhereinbefore described.

From the wringing-rollers V and \V the yarn passes the main apron B ofthe next succeeding machine, passing through the latter in the samemanner as just described for the first machine, and so on through thewhole of the series. Each succeeding machine is driven by asprocket-chain Y from the sprocket-wheel F on the shaft f to asprocket-wheel D on the main driving-shaft d of the next machine. Bythis means the yarn may be passed through as many washing-tanks, eachcontaining a suitable washing fiuid, as may be necessary to thoroughlycleanse the same.

A draw-cock X is provided at the lowest part of the bottom A of eachtank, through which the fluid maybe readily drawn off from the tank.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a washing-machine, the combination with a tank, of rollersjournaled in the said tank and sprocket-wheels on the same shaft withsaid rollers, an endless apron passing over the said rollers,sprocket-chains attached to the edges of the said apron to engage thesaid sprocket-wheels, a second endless apron of similar constructionpassing over similar rollers above the first apron, means for drivingboth aprons in the same direction, a set of rollers beneath the saidaprons, two sets of alternate fast and loose pinions on the'said rollersmeshing together, a set of yielding rollers above the said aprons gearedto the lower rollers, and means for driving the said rollers,substantially as described.

2. In a washing-machine, the combination with a tank, of rollersjournaled in the said tank and sprocket-wheels on the same shaft withsaid rollers, an endless apron passing over the said rollers,sprocket-chains attached to the edges of the said apron to engage the Ina washing-machine, the combination with a tank, rollers journaled in thesaid tank, endless aprons passing over the said rollers, a set ofrollers beneath the said aprons and a set of rollers above the saidaprons, frames carrying journal-blocks o and N to receive the journalsof the rollers of the two sets, a screw-rod N in the said framesbearing' on the upper journal-block, a follower N upon the saidscrew-rod, a spring Within the said frame bearing upon the saidfollower, means for turning the said screw-rod to adjust the tension ofthe spring, and means for driving the rollers, substantially asdescribed. In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence ofthree witnesses.

ALEXANDER TURKINGTO'N. Witnesses:

H. A. TAYLOR,

HENRY H. VINTON,

W. F. SEVERSON.

